The 3rd LSCU Annual Convention and Exposition (AC&E) is behind us, and we had another great event in Orlando. More than 1,000 credit union CEOs, executives, staff, volunteers, vendors, and their guests attended this year's AC&E. A number of attendees told us how much they enjoyed the speakers, education sessions, and the dinner/entertainment. Nearly all of our educational session rooms needed extra chairs to accommodate the overflow crowd. The 128 exhibitors had great traffic during the Exhibit Hall hours. If you couldn’t make it this year, we’ll have a wrap-up video of the AC&E next week.

Each year one of the LSCU board of directors quarterly meetings are held in conjunction with the AC&E. This year, following the board meeting and Annual Business meeting, we welcomed a new chairman of the board, Mary Ott Wood, CEO of Florida West Coast CU (Tampa Chapter). She takes the gavel from Joe McGee, CEO of Legacy Community FCU (Birmingham Chapter). Joe served as chairman for two years and has done an excellent job leading the board during a time of great transformation for the League. I’m excited to work with Mary because she has such a passion for credit unions and advocacy. Our Executive Committee changed slightly with Steve Swofford, CEO of Alabama CU, becoming the chair-elect, and Tina Williams, CEO of Mobile Educators CU, becoming vice chair. Brent Lister of First Florida CU moves to the secretary role. New to the Executive Committee is Alvin Cowans of McCoy FCU. He assumes the board treasurer role.

At its meeting, the board approved the merger between two Florida Chapters. The Pinellas and Tampa Chapters are close in proximity and with Pinellas having a small number of credit unions, it made sense to merge the two chapters. This will help each chapter continue to thrive. The Tampa Chapter is strong and works hard to educate credit unions and it has innovative ideas on how to raise money for charity. The Pinellas Chapter has strong participation and the merger will allow the six credit unions in the chapter to take part in more educational meetings and more fundraising opportunities.

One of the things I enjoy most about the AC&E is getting a chance to speak with a large number of credit unions in one setting. I enjoy traveling throughout Alabama and Florida to meet with our member credit unions and to sit in their offices to talk about issues. But, the AC&E allows for groups of credit unions, from both states, to talk about the subjects that affect all of us. Our theme this year was “The Power of One” and it really illustrates what makes our movement different. We are willing to work together. We willingly share our best practices to help all of us succeed. Getting a perspective from a peer, or peers, is always beneficial.

You may not believe this, but preparation for the 2013 AC&E will begin in the next couple of weeks. We appreciate all of the feedback we received on site and through our evaluation forms. We do take all of this feedback and see how we can improve the AC&E each year. If you would like to submit a comment, send an email to education@lscu.coop.

Thank you again for all that attended this year’s AC&E. For those that didn’t, I hope you will consider attending next year. The dates are June 12-15, 2013 at the JW Marriott in Orlando. The Power of One is all of us working together. Let's build on the momentum from last week. I welcome your thoughts and feedback.

2012 LSCU Cooperative Image Campaign set to kick-off The second run of last year's successful Cooperative Image Campaign is set to begin this week in selected media markets in Alabama and Florida. The 2012 campaign raised $1.2 million from credit unions towards the media buys in each market. Read more about this year's campaign, and check out the TV and radio ads by clicking here.

2011 LSCU Annual Report now available
The League's 2011 Annual Report is now available. Take a look at the progress the League made on behalf of credit unions in Alabama and Florida through advocacy, cooperation, teamwork. This illustrates what the 'Power of One" truly means. Click here to view the 2011 Annual Report.

Update on NCUA "Listening Session" in OrlandoThe NCUA held its most recent "Listening Session" in Orlando last week, where credit union officials were able to meet with agency chairman Debbie Matz face-to-face to discuss important regulatory issues. To read the full summary of the session, click here.

The 3rd LSCU Annual Convention and Exposition (AC&E) carried the theme, "The Power of One. One Vision. One Voice." For three days, more than 1,000 attendees were immersed in how credit unions can work closer together to achieve many goals, including a greater presence with lawmakers and reaching more consumers.

LSCU President/CEO Patrick La Pine challenged credit unions to partner with the League, especially on advocacy topics. He told them that credit unions are a like a four-legged stool. He said credit unions, chapters, leagues and CUNA all need to work together to hold the movement up and move it forward. He told attendees that advocacy was the top priority for the League.

NCUA Chairman Debbie Matz spoke during the annual meeting and said credit unions are improving. She said that Alabama credit unions are beating the national average in nearly every category. Matz implored credit unions to invest in technology for Gen Y. The average age of those seeking a loan are between 25 and 44, while the average age of a credit union member is 47. Matz also asked credit unions to take part in advocacy to help get the changes needed to regulations. WOCCU President/CEO Dr. Brian Branch and CUES President/CEO Fred Johnson also spoke.

Game Change, the New York Times best seller and HBO movie, authors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann gave the keynote address during Friday's General Closing Session. Halperin and Heilemann took credit unions inside the 2012 elections and gave a great overview of the strengths and weaknesses of Pres. Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney. The LSCU awards were presented after the keynote address with former Alabama CU CEO Jimmy Lankford being awarded the Distinguished Service award. His portrait will now hang in the Credit Union House Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C.

The staff of Community Credit Union of Florida pose with Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL).

Washington information about the budget and how gridlock is not necessarily a bad thing. He said that gridlock can keep bills from being passed that will be harmful to small businesses. He also talked about how laws are passed many times and then the regulations that are stacked on them are burdensome and often times don't reflect the original bill.

The LSCU Exhibit Hall is one of the largest among credit union shows. Nearly 130 exhibitors had five hours to mingle with attendees and talk business. A Best in Show competition awarded five vendors with blue ribbons. Think Creative, a website design company, won the Best in Show and the President's Choice for best booth.

The AC&E featured more than 20 education sessions, the LSCU/CUES Councils, and the Director's Institute. The Silent Auction concluded during Friday night's Dinner and Entertainment. The final totals won't be out for another week, but it will surpass last year's total. Eleven-year-old piano prodigy Ethan Bortnick brought the house down Friday night with two 20 minutes sets that had the crowd up and dancing. Ethan gave away two of his DVDs and two tickets to a concert this summer and auctioned off a custom message.

The 2013 AC&E will be June 12-15, 2013 at the JW Marriott, Orlando.
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Great turnout for AC&E Governmental Affairs Luncheon

This year’s LSCU Annual Convention and Exposition (AC&E)
Governmental Affairs Luncheon featured Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL). Rep.
Posey is the only member of the Florida delegation to sit on the full
House Financial Services Committee, and has co-sponsored every piece of
legislation that credit unions have asked him to. Rep. Posey spoke for
nearly 45 minutes during the luncheon, giving an update on the issues he
feels are most important facing this country, including his take on the
ongoing financial crisis.

If you were unable to attend the luncheon, but still would like to
contribute to Rep. Posey’s re-election effort, you can still do so
online or by check. To donate online, click here, or you can contribute by check by filling out the Contribution Form, and sending a check to the campaign address listed on the form.

Cooperative Image Campaign debuts in markets across Alabama and Florida

The second flight of the LSCU Cooperative Image Campaign makes its debut this week across 11 of Alabama and Florida's 13 media markets. The other two media markets, Miami and Palm Beach, will begin soon. The campaign is slated to run through most of July and into August in select markets. If your credit union would like to take part in the campaign, contact LSCU VP, Marketing and Communications Mike Bridges at 866.231.0545 ext. 1022 or Director, Information Services Amy Jowers at ext. 1020.

The Cooperative Image Campaign will once again utilize TV, radio, billboard, online and a landing website, www.betternameforbanking.com. A second TV ad was produced that plays off of the first one, using the same actor, and wondering again how so many consumers can not know what a credit union is. Most TV markets will run the new ad, along with the ad from 2011. View both ads by visiting the LSCU Cooperative Image Campaign website. The betternameforbanking website has also been refreshed with a cleaner look and web banners.

To date 107 credit unions are participating in the campaign, with a handful more that have committed contributions. It's important that your credit union participate in the campaign. As a value of participation, when a consumer searches a credit union through the betternameforbanking website, participating credit unions have all of their information displayed including website, branch locations and phone numbers. For those that do not participate, their name will be displayed at the bottom of the search, but no information is provided. It pays to have your credit union's information listed. In September, more than 65,000 consumers visited the website and searched for a credit union.

This week in Alabama politics: Hubbard will not run for governor, unemployment rises

Speaker Hubbard Won’t Run for Governor in 2014
There has been a lot of speculation over the possibility of House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) running against Gov. Robert Bentley in 2014 for Alabama’s highest elected position. However, last week Speaker Hubbard shot down the idea and declared that he has no intentions of challenging Gov. Bentley in 2014 and for now his place is in the legislature. One thing that Speaker Hubbard did not rule out last week was a run for governor in 2018. Most believe that if 2014 will not be the year, then 2018 will be without question.

Unemployment Rate Rises
For the first time in close to a year, Alabama’s unemployment rate rose from 7.2 percent in April to 7.4 percent in May. While the increase was expected due to national numbers, recent high school and college graduates also helped the number rise. Even with the slight increase, Alabama’s numbers are considerably better than one year ago when unemployment was 9.3 percent.

The figures represent more than 159,000 people looking for work in the state. Shelby, Coffee, and Limestone counties top the list with the lowest unemployment rates and Wilcox, Dallas, and Lowndes have the highest.

Sen. Jim Norman Ends Re-Election Bid
In a not-so-stunning move, State Sen. Jim Norman (R-Tampa) decided to not continue his bid to return to the Florida Senate. Sen. Norman had qualified for District 17 and was set to face current House member John Legg (R-Port Richey), former Rep. Rob Wallace (R), and security consulting firm owner John Korsak in the GOP primary. Most experts anticipated this primary to come down to Norman and Legg, and Norman continued to face ethics questions arising from his failure to disclose a $500,000 home -- purchased for his wife by a campaign contributor -- on his financial disclosure forms in a previous election. Legg, who picked up the endorsement of incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford (R-Land O’Lakes) on Tuesday, wished Norman well, but said the race remains competitive. “We still have a campaign to run with a primary in August and a general (election) in November. And we are going to continue to work hard and take our message to the voters of District 17,” Legg said in a prepared statement.

Sen. John Thrasher Will Not Seek Senate Presidency
Uniting to shape the Florida Seante, John Thrasher (R-Jacksonville) has dropped out of a race for president in 2016, and is now backing Stuart Republican Joe Negron. Thrasher, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and Speaker of the Florida House, and Negron attempted to lead a coup this spring in an attempt to displace Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner (R-Orlando), who is slated to succeed incoming president Don Gaetz (R-Niceville), in two years. Sen. Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater) put down the mutiny with the aid of other Republican senators, many of whom are leaving office due to term limits. Latvala and Negron will both be vying for the presidency in 2016, and with Thrasher’s early endorsement to Negron, it may become too much for Latvala to overcome. Credit unions should pay close attention to all of these happenings as Sens. Gardiner, Thrasher, and Negron are all very credit union-friendly.

To read the complete Florida Politics Week in Review including important information on the LSCU Action Center, Project Zip Code, LSCU PLAN to Win, and PAC fundraising, click here.

The Senate reconvened this afternoon to continue
consideration of the “Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012” (S.
3240). The Senate is expected to finish the farm bill this week and move
on to consideration of S.1940, comprehensive flood insurance reform that includes
a provision to further extend the authorization of the National Flood Insurance
Program past its July 31st expiration date to September 30, 2013.
The House returned today and began to consider bills under suspension of the
rules. Later in the week, the House will consider the Domestic Energy and
Jobs Act, a package of 6 domestic energy production bills. In addition,
the House will consider the Conservation and Economic Growth Act, a package of
fourteen Natural Resources Committee bills.

Both the Senate and the House are scheduled to be in session
next week and then recess the week of July 2.

Committee Hearings
As usual, we are following several hearings on both sides of
the Capitol; there are two hearings of particular note for credit unions. On
Thursday, Brett Martinez, president and chief executive officer of Redwood
Credit Union in Santa Rosa, California, and a member of the CUNA Board of
Directors, will testify before the House Small Business Committee, Subcommittee
on Investigations, Oversight and Regulation hearing on small business lending.
On Wednesday, the Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee of
the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing on recent efforts by
the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to change mortgage loan disclosures
required at real estate closing. CUNA will be submitting a letter for the
record of this hearing.

In addition to these hearings, there are a few others of
particular interest. On Tuesday, the House Financial Services Committee will
hold a hearing on the $2 billion J.P. Morgan Chase trading loss, which is being
investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the FBI. The Senate
Finance Committee will hold a hearing titled "Confronting The Looming
Fiscal Crisis." On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee will mark
up the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill for Fiscal
Year 2013. On Thursday, the Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing on
issues surrounding the provision of retail banking services to money service
businesses, which engage in activities such as currency exchange, sale of traveler's
checks and money orders, and money transmission.

Member Business Lending Update
Last week CUNA sent a letter to House and Senate leadership
urging them to support the Credit Union Small Business Lending Jobs Act.
A copy of this letter and all CUNA letters to the Hill can be found by clicking
here.

For nearly two months, credit unions around the country have
been urging members of Congress to support H.R. 4367, the Electronic Funds
Transfer Act, sponsored by Reps. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) and David Scott
(D-GA). Recently, Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Nebraksa) has filed a Senate companion,S. 3204, and the League has begun urging Senators to cosponsor this as well.
This legislation provides a commonsense, and much needed update, to the
Electronic Funds Transfer Act that will protect ATM owners and operators, such
as credit unions, from frivolous lawsuits while continuing to afford consumers
the protections and rights they currently enjoy. The legislation has added two
Florida co-sponsors in the last two weeks.

Last week, members of the League of Southeastern Credit
Union’s Governmental Affairs (GA) team met with Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) staff
to push the virtues of this legislation, and its efforts have paid off. This
morning the League learned Sen. Rubio has officially signed on to co-sponsor
this important piece of legislation, a direct result of the efforts the
League’s GA team and volunteers have initiated.
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NCUA has amended its regulations to require federally insured credit unions (FICUs) to maintain written policies that address the management of loan workout arrangements and non-accrual policies for loans, consistent with industry practice or Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council requirements.

The final rule includes guidelines, set forth as an interpretive ruling and policy statement and incorporated as an appendix to the rule, that will assist FICUs in complying with the rule, including the regulatory reporting of troubled debt restructured loans in FICU Call Reports.

To find out more about troubled debt restructured loans, visit League InfoSight.

The current issues of the InfoSight eNewsletter for Alabama and Florida are now available. Members must login to the League website (www.lscu.coop) with username and password. If you do not have access to the League website, click here to sign up. After you are logged in to www.lscu.coop, click on the InfoSight tab.
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“Members Matter Most” to be theme of CUNA’s 2012 International Credit Union (ICU) Day

CUNA unveiled the design for International Credit Union (ICU) Day 2012, based on the World Council of Credit Unions’ selected theme, “Members Matter Most.” ICU Day will take place on Oct. 18, 2012.

“Members are the focal point this year, just as they are every single day in credit unions,” said Joanne Sepich, CUNA’s ICU Day coordinator. “While credit union staff always put members first, this is an opportunity to remind members that credit unions are different by design—members are what make credit unions unique and set them apart as for-people, not-for-profit, cooperatively owned financial institutions.”

Credit unions have celebrated ICU Day on the third Thursday of October since 1948. The day reflects upon the credit union movement's history and promotes its achievements. It is a day to recognize the dedication of those working in the credit union industry, appreciate current members and invite eligible consumers to join.

Historically, credit unions and associations in every part of the world celebrate the day with open houses, contests and picnics, fairs, festivals and parades; others hold athletic competitions and essay or art contests for young members. Public gatherings with visiting dignitaries have effectively attracted media attention and public involvement, as have educational and public service events.

The "leave behind" project in honor of the Republican National Convention began taking shape Tuesday, June 12. The Volunteer Day saw credit union staff, republican national committee staff and hospital employees work side-by-side planting gardens, constructing toys and building walls for the therapeutic playground at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.

The Volunteers helped plant more than 1,400 plants, many of which will be in a sensory garden that will help children rehabilitate through sensory perception. The volunteers worked in three, two-hour shifts. All Children's patients toured the playground throughout the day including Seth, who thanked all of the volunteers for their hard work. Rep. Jim Frishe, Majority Whip in the Florida House, stopped in to also thank volunteers and let them know how much All Children's has meant to the Tampa/St. Pete community.

The $300,000 playground will be completed before the Republican National Convention begins in Tampa in August. This project is a great way to show lawmakers and the nation just what credit unions are all about. If your credit union would like to donate to the project, visit the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation website or contact Foundation Director Leonard Parkhurst at 866.231.0545 ext. 1154.
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Education News

Regulatory Compliance update coming in September

Staying compliant is tough in today's regulatory environment. The LSCU Education Department has two opportunities for credit unions to spend a day ensuring they are in compliance, and more importantly, that they understand the regulatory and legal issues facing credit unions.

The LSCU Regulatory Compliance update is coming in September. There are two dates to remember:

September 11, 2012, Tallahassee, FL - LSCU office

September 13, 2012, Birmingham, AL - Legacy Community FCU

R. Todd Sherpy, a founding member of Sherpy & Jones, P.A., will lead the Regulatory Compliance update. A number of topics will be discussed including:

Common Sense and Liability Protection

Total Debt Restructuring – What NCUA and Credit Unions are Missing and Changes per 12 CFR 741

Foreign Remittance Transfer Rules

UDAAP – How IT DOES Affect your Credit Union and What you can do about it

BSA and IRS/Treasury Changes (From Forms to Elder Abuse Reporting)

Review of Top 2011-2012 Compliance Concerns and Reducing Exposure to Violations

Envision CU contributes to Best & Brightest Awards for next five years

The Best & Brightest Awards recognizes and honors Leon County’s excelling high school seniors. This is a scholarship award program partnering with local Leon County area public and private high schools and World Class Schools of Leon County.

Envision Credit Union, the title sponsor and top funder of the Best and Brightest Awards since its inception seven years ago, has made a decision to extend its sponsorship support for this great scholarship project for the next five years, a stunningly generous $175,000 commitment.

Envision CEO Darryl Worrell has notified World Class Schools of Leon County that it will pre-pay the total five-year $175,000 underwriting for the Best and Brightest Awards, essentially establishing an endowment for the project's ability to continue to honor, recognize, and reward the community's top youth. This hometown anchoring commitment by Envision speaks volumes about their vision for their key role in the Leon County community. They are encouraging other businesses to join them in supporting the scholarship by clicking here for more information.